Warwick Castle
|years_active= |location=Warwick, |coordinates= |rating= |map= |16}} }} Warwick Castle, in Warwick, England, is a large and impressive castle that sits by the River Avon. It is reportedly haunted by the ghost of . Background Warwick was built by the Saxons in 1088 in order to try and protect the city from the Norman Invasion. The Normans managed to take the castle over, and made a man called Henry de Beumont the Earl of Warwick. In 1153, Henry of Anjou decided he wanted to have Warwick Castle for himself, but the Second Earl of Warick would not let him, And so Henry and his servants went into the castle, kidnapped the Earl, and imprisoned him in the prisons of his own castle. Henry then went and told the earl's wife that he had died. The wife was so heartbroken that she signed the deeds to the castle over to Henry, after this however, Henry let the Earl out of the dungeon. Henry of Anjou went on to become King Henry the Second and lived in Warwick Castle, However, after improving the castles defenses, he left and gave it to the Beauchamp family. in 1449 the castle was left heirless after Anne Beauchamp died, the castle changed ownership many times before it became owned by the crown. Nobody lived in it for a long period of time and the castle became a ruin. In 1604, King James gave the castle to Fulke Grevile, Fulke Grevile built a country house within the castle walls. The Grevile family owned the castle until the 1800's, it was damaged by a fire and they sold it to the crown. Today it is a protected site owned by the Tussauds company, who have refurnished it and look after the castle today. Legend of Fulke Grevile was the treasurer for the royal family during the reign of Queen . After serving in the French wars of religion in Normandy, he was made the Fifth Baron of Willoughby de Brooke. As a baron he had some power, however, he was not entitled to a specific area of land (like earls). For his services to the royal family, King James the First (who became king after Elizabeth's death} gave Warwick Castle to Grevile in 1604. Grevile spent the rest of his life in the castle. By the time Grevile was given the castle it was already in ruins, so Grevile built a large country house, where he could live, within the castle walls. He then moved all of his servants in with him and started writing poetry. Grevile wrote many poems, usualy with a very Calvinist or pessemistic view on things such as literature, beauty and other aspects of life. He is well known for being the biographer of his friend Philip Sidney, a famous military leader. Grevile died on the thirtieth of September 1628, he had recently written a will and it had been released. A servant of Grevile's named Ralph Heywood had been left out of the will. Heywood felt that he was entitled to be included in the will and confronted Grevile about this. Grevile explained that he simply did not have enough money and this angered Heywood. Heywood stabbed Greville, but then felt great guilt about what he had done and turned the knife on himself. Heywood died instantly but Grevile took much longer to die, He died alone trapped in the south tower where he was stabbed. According to the official history Fulke Greville was stabbed in London and died of the wounds a month later, not helped by his surgeon packing the wound with mutton fat. Hauntings The ghost of Fulke Grevile is said to haunt the castle grounds. Many people have heard, seen, or felt the ghost. Many people have heard an argument when no people have been arguing, or heard moans of agony around the area where Grevile died. There is a portrait of Grevile in the castle and it is said that sometimes, the ghost of Fulke Grevile simply walks out of this portrait.